Page 79 of Edge of Wonder

“Let’s go.” He shoved me to the ground, and I caught myself with my hands. A surge of denial rushed through me, and the second I hit the dirt, I clawed my way to my feet and ran. It was an instinctive action, knowing I couldn’t beat him in a hand-to-hand fight. But if he wanted the third key, he’d have to catch me first.

I raced down the path, jumping over fallen branches. He thundered behind me, his footsteps a drumbeat in my head. The thorns slashed my cloak as I dove through a dense thicket, unsure of what lay on the other side. My boots teetered over a rocky ledge that dropped to a series of caves.

The caves were dark tunnels burrowing through the ground. Thick green bushes surrounded them, and I noticed more of the gold berries I’d found earlier. I hurtled over the plants and into a cave, flattening myself against the rock wall. Air wheezed in and out of my lungs as I struggled to regulate my breathing and keep quiet.

The mercenary emerged through the thicket and came to a halt in front of the cave system. I held my breath as he circled, slashing through the dense undergrowth with his dagger.

“I’ll find you, Alice. You can’t hide.”

I slipped further into the darkness of the cave. Heavy breathing made me stop. It was a husky, wet sound. In and out. A rattle that mixed liquid fear with my blood. Two glowing green eyes appeared in the darkness. Claws scraped across the stone. The stench of wet fur assailed my nose when the creature skulked closer.

Looks like I found the Gursuss.

I shot out of the cave as the creature lunged. Ducking low, it sailed over my head, landing on all fours with a snaggle-toothed snarl. The creature was enormous, with a protruding jaw and matted fur. Menacing teeth snapped in the air. A deep growl rumbled in its throat, skittering tiny pebbles under its feet.

The creature lunged again, this time knocking me off my feet. I landed on my back, paralyzed with fear as it loomed over me. Teeth gnashed in front of my face; its hot breath whisked my skin. I closed my eyes, waiting for its claws to rip through my body. Instead, I felt its nose. Wet and sticky, it grazed my cheek with a loud sniff. My eyes snapped open when the creature lowered its head, sniffing my hands where the golden berry residue coated my palms.

It reared back with a loud sneeze. Another sneeze followed, quaking through the creature’s body. It backed away, pawing at its nose. I scrambled to my feet, putting distance between myself and the creature, but it had already moved on. The beast whirled, turning its snarl on the mercenary.

The man screamed as the creature sprang through the air and battered him to the ground. A long wet sniff filled the air, then the beast roared. It dragged the mercenary back into its cave. More screams echoed deep inside the tunnel until they faded into silence.

Hands shaking, I backed away from the caves. Shock flooded through my system, and I wandered through the twisting paths, the spindly branches seeming to close behind me. Dead end after dead end, I walked. Everything looked the same. Endless gray thickets, blocking out the sky.

There were no roses.

But I couldn’t give up. I had to keep going, now more than ever. People were still counting on me. My friends were waiting, and Sebastian would have wanted me to win.

As night fell, I sank beneath a rock ledge and pulled my bag tight to my chest. I ate a few more of the berries, keeping a close lookout for a pair of glowing green eyes, and waited for morning.

Chapter 27

Sebastian

Mirrors. They were everywhere. Hanging on the walls of a shadowed hallway. Light pooled like a spotlight over each one, but the hall funneled into a black void. Every step brought me closer, and there was no going back.

Alice’s reflection appeared inside a glass oval. Blood-red rose petals fluttered from above, catching in her hair and clinging to her skin. She cupped her hands, letting the petals gather in her palms, then she brought them to her lips, blowing them into the air.

Sharp pain bit into my side, and as the petals continued to fall, blood soaked through my shirt. Alice vanished from the mirror, moving to the next one. My feet felt like lead as I followed, my legs struggling to hold my weight.

A sad smile curled the edges of her mouth and a tear spilled from beneath her lashes. It was hard to breathe. The weight on my chest grew heavier. I pressed my hand against the glass, leaving behind a red smear.

Her reflection dissolved, filling up the mirror further down the hall. I tried to run, keeping her in view, but the darkness bled into the light, the hall growing dim.

“Hold still, Sebastian.” A voice echoed in the hall.

Then a man’s voice, vaguely familiar. “Will he live?”

“I don’t know.” The whisper slithered in the air. Behind me, the lights winked out. There were only a few mirrors left. Alice banged her fists from behind the glass, making the frame rattle. Her cries stopped my heart. An unearthly silence spread through the hall. Deathlike in its finality. Petals obscured Alice’s face. Then she disappeared.

Wait for me. Don’t leave!I wanted to shout the words, but I had no sound. Desperate, I gripped a mirror by its frame, heaving it off the wall. Glass shattered as I smashed the mirror into the floor. Shards scattered into the shadows and crunched under my feet. I grabbed the next mirror. One by one, I broke the glass, my mind frantic to free her from the reflective prison.

The last light extinguished, plunging the hall into darkness. I roared her name, and this time, the sound shook the hall. A flash of light seared my vision, and when it faded, I was back in Julian’s cottage. Alice floated in front of the window. Moonlight spilled through the glass, bleeding through her translucent form. She was a ghost again, sad eyes staring at the world outside the cottage.

She looked at me. “Go home, Sebastian.”

My fists clenched, knowing I couldn’t touch her. “No. I’ll bring you back. I’m not leaving without you.”

Alice turned toward the window. “There’s nothing you can do here. Please, they’re waiting for you. Just go home.”

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